Lupin's Hogwarts Years Year One
by Phantom Quill
Summary: Been writing this one for ages. Will NOT continue without reviews so please r/r! PG at the moment because he's only 11 at the start, but future years will be a little more *ahem* interesting. One of my best works! All the old crowd in their first Hogwarts
1. The Robe Maker's Neice

**CHAPTER ONE  
  
_THE ROBE-MAKER'S NIECE_**  
  
  
Remus J. Lupin stood alone in the fitting rooms of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Madam Malkin herself was hovering around him fussing and fretting over his abnormal height.   
"Five feet tall! Well I never! Such a height for a boy of eleven! You'll tower over your classmates and I daresay some of the teachers!"  
Of course, Remus had heard this all before, so he didn't take much notice. Remus was getting his school uniform fitted to go to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Remus Lupin was a wizard. As Madam Malkin nattered on his eyes skimmed the opposite shops in Diagon Alley (the wizard high street in the middle of London). Flourish and Blotts the bookstore, Ollivanders, (Makers of fine wands since 382 B.C.) and the place Remus loved most of all, Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream Parlour.   
Madam Malkin was a squat witch dressed all in mauve. She was pinning down the last parts of his robe when a girl entered the shop. The girl must have been about Remus's own age, and he couldn't help but notice she was very pretty. Madam Malkin looked up from the edging of Remus's robes and her face broke out into a warm smile.  
"Happy Birthday Auntie Margaret!" Said the girl.  
"Oh you little darling!" Shouted Madam Malkin gleefully. She stepped away from Remus and hugged the girl almost to pieces. The girl then presented her with a big box of Chocolate Frogs. "Thank you dear! I shouldn't really eat them but it is my birthday!"  
Madam Malkin placed the box on her desk and picked up a parcel wrapped in brown paper. She gave it to the girl. Pretending not to listen to the conversation, Remus glanced over some posters of England Team Quidditch Robes nearby.  
"Hogwarts robes," said Madam Malkin to her niece, "finest finish! Silver fastenings! Congratulations on getting in dear!"  
The girl thanked her, and after receiving another seemingly suffocating hug from her aunt, she left the shop and headed over the road to Florean Fortescue's. She sat down at a table where a boy with white-blond hair was digging in to a banana split far too big for him to finish. She picked up a spoon and took a scoop of chocolate from a section that the boy hadn't even started on yet.  
Madam Malkin finished fitting the robes and set about sewing them (by magic, of course). After which, she packed them into a brown paper parcel and passed it to him. He paid her for his robes and headed out into the bright August morning in Diagon Alley. He headed to Florean Fortescue's for a quick kiwi-coconut sundae.  
The girl and the boy were still sharing the banana split; they were nowhere near finishing it. Remus was slightly intrigued as to what they were saying, due to the fact that the boy (who was extremely pale) seemed to be shooting him odd looks as he paid for his ice cream. Remus decided it wise to take a table as far as possible from them, which was easy, as most of the others were empty.  
Even though the pale boy had his back to Remus, he was still glancing every so-often in Remus's direction, although the girl didn't seem to care at all. Moments after the seventh glance ('or was it the eighth?'), the girl and boy were joined by another boy. This boy was dressed in a long black cloak and had shoulder-length jet-black hair. He too was pale and extremely tall, about as tall as Remus.  
The boy sat down and reached into his cloak pocket. He pulled out an emerald green bottle with a blue crystal stopper and put it on the table. He seemed to be explaining something to the girl. She was in awe of the bottle and the other boy was squinting to read the label, he shot another glance at Remus. Remus looked away immediately.  
The white-blonde boy leaned over the table and muttered something to the other two. The girl nodded and the other boy looked up at Remus. Remus wasn't fast enough to look away. Their eyes met for just a few seconds but that was enough to notice a very suspicious glare.   
Remus finished the last scoop of his ice cream and headed off in the direction of Flourish and Blotts. He looked back to discover that the boy with the black hair was following him. Remus didn't like confrontation, but he didn't like being followed either. He stopped and turned around at the door of the bookstore.  
"May I help you?" He asked, trying to seem oblivious to the fact that this boy had followed him all the way down the street.  
"As a matter of fact you may." Replied the boy. From his tone of voice he seemed insulted that this very nosey boy would blatantly ask what was the matter. He continued in a very well educated manner, "What, may I ask, do you find so interesting about my companions outside Florean Fortescue's?"  
"I beg your pardon?" Asked Remus, trying not to look guilty. The expression on the boy's face changed to a degrading smirk, obviously he could spot a liar.  
"Would you like me to refresh your memory?" He asked in a slightly menacing manner. Remus nodded. "Very well," he continued, "according to my information you haven't taken your eyes off my friend's table since you came to the cafe."  
"I might have if your friend had taken his eyes off me." Answered Remus. This reply must have come as quite a shock to the boy as he looked as though he was going to explode.   
At that moment, the other boy turned up.  
"What's up?" He asked. He too seemed to have a rather posh accent. Nobody spoke.  
"Well," said Remus, "If it's all he same to you I'll think I'll push off now… Books to buy and all…" Remus entered Flourish and Blotts and the boys followed.  
"We're not finished." Said the black-haired boy.  
"Oh I think you'll find we are." Answered Remus.  
"Nobody talks to us like that!" Exclaimed the other boy.  
"Who said I was talking to you?" Remus stated in a somewhat rude tone.  
"Why you…" Said the first boy, clenching his fists.  
Just then the girl entered the store.   
"There you are! Leave me with the bill then! Eleven sickles! I'm going to kill you Lucius!" She was talking to the blonde boy. He gave Remus a hateful glance and turned to sort out the money.  
"I don't like you at all… I think I'll take action on it…" Said the other boy, who looked about ready to knock Remus's lights out. The girl must have noticed this as she looked up from the silver sickles (wizard currency) and grabbed the boy's arm as it moved to strike.  
"Picking fights again? Honestly! What am I going to do with you?" She scolded. "Sorry about this…" She said to Remus gently as she dragged the two boys out of the shop. A tall man in a brown hat and cloak placed a hand on Remus's shoulder.  
"All right son?" He asked. It was Roger Lupin. Remus's father.  
"I'm fine dad. I went to get my robes and ran into some trouble with those two…"  
"What about the girl?" He said, seeming concerned.  
"She dragged them away, telling them not to pick fights…" He replied. "I'm going to my room now..."  
Remus headed upstairs. His father owned Flourish and Blotts, and Remus had a room upstairs overlooking Diagon Alley. His room was full of books. He already had his full set of books for Hogwarts. Term started on September the first, two days away. Remus crossed another day off on his calendar. He pushed A History of Magic off his bed and lay down, staring up at the ceiling.  
Thoughts crossed his mind. How could a nice girl like that fall in with those two losers? Wonder what was in that bottle? Maybe that's why that other boy was so suspicious, could be dangerous, illegal even… Remus started to drift off to sleep.  
"Remus! Dinner!" Shouted his mum from downstairs. Remus groaned and lifted himself off his bed. He dawdled down the stairs and walked past his dad's office towards the kitchen. He was surprised to see that his dad was still working.  
"What're you doing dad?" He asked, pausing at the door.  
"What? Oh! Hi son, didn't see you there! Just filing a report on some more shoplifters…"  
"Not again!" Said Remus. "I thought the Ministry had sorted that out."  
"They should've. But they sent that new fellow, Arthur Weasley I think his name was. Eighteen years old, fresh out of Hogwarts! Hasn't quite mastered Protection Charms yet… Some kid named Lucius Malfoy pinched a copy of Curses and Counter-Curses yesterday, got to file a report but I doubt we'll catch him… Slippery buggers those Malfoys…"  
Lucius Malfoy? Thought Remus. Could it be the same one?   
Before he had a chance to ask any more his mother dragged him into the kitchen. "Food's gone cold! Come on Roger! I don't know… No respect for the cook in this house. Come on Roger! Ridiculous… Appreciation? No chance! Here's your dinner Remus dear. COME ON ROGER!"  
"In a minute Lucy dear!" He called back. Remus's mother let out a huge sigh.  
"Thinks about nothing but the shop…" She muttered to her self as she conjured a purple flame around her husband's plate to keep his dinner warm. The pots and pans were washing themselves in the sink. Remus ate his dinner quickly and decided to go back upstairs.  
He didn't feel much like sleeping, so Remus got out the latest edition of Which Broomstick and pondered over the latest Comet model, he read the page over and over:  
The latest innovation from Comet, the all-new Comet two-sixty is fifty times faster than the previous Comet two-fifty. Accuracy has been improved by 75% and the tail is made of the most aerodynamic brushwood direct from the forests of Canada, North America.  
Remus glanced at his broom, a two-year-old Shooting Star; he'd give his right-arm for one of the newer brooms. But, it wouldn't make any difference, as for one, he couldn't afford a new broom on his allowance, and first-years at Hogwarts weren't allowed their own brooms anyway. Maybe next year... He thought.  
The pictures in the magazine were moving, as they always did in wizard publications, Remus watched the child riding the broom swoop and zoom all over the page. He flipped to the accesories page. This is why he had hardly any allowance. He had bought a Complete Broomstick Servicing Kit a few weeks ago.   
Remus was supposed to get twelve sickles a week. The kit cost him twelve golden galleons. So, his parents paid the bill and took six sickles from his allowance every week. Remus had been saving the whole month to get his school 'supplies'. His parents bought him robes, a cauldron, telescope etc. But Remus had to get the 'real' school stuff from his own cash.  
He had bought Chocolate Frogs (the enchanted frogs that the girl had given her aunt), Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans (they mean very flavour!), a pocket sneakcoscope (in case anything weird happened, this little item could warn him!) and an entire box of Dr. Filibuster's Fabulous No-Heat Wet-Start Fireworks!  
So, he was all set for Hogwarts. All he had to do was pack. What better a time to start? Thought Remus. He started to put his books into piles. Just then his pet owl, Artemis, arrived with a parcel for him. Attatched to the parcel was a letter. He put down his copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and opened up the letter. It read:  
_ Hello Remus,  
Just wondering how you are. Hope this letter reaches you before you start at Hogwarts. Just a little present for the start of term. Hope you get into Gryffindor!  
Uncle Jonny._  
Remus opened the parcel. A brand new peacock feather quill. 'Uncle' Jonny wasn't really his uncle, he was his godfather. He lived in Romania so he used any excuse to send Remus presents. Remus searched his desk for a piece of parchment and wrote a quick thank-you note:  
_Hi Uncle Jonny,  
Using new quill for the first time, thanks very much, should come in handy. Nice to hear from you. Write again soon.  
Remus._  
He attached the reply to Artemis's leg.  
"Don't forget, I'll be at Hogwarts when you get back!" Remus reminded him. The tawny owl hooted and flew out of the window.  
Remus, delighted in hearing from his godfather, went downstairs to show his father his new quill. After a brief moment of admiration of the impressive quill, his father went back to his paperwork. Remus moved into the kitchen to find that his father's dinner, still engulfed in flames, had not been touched. His mother was at the kitchen table. She looked a little upset.  
"What's wrong?" Asked Remus sympathetically, he had always been rather sensitive.   
"Your father works too hard running this shop… And what with the… um… arrangements for you to go to Hogwarts… I think things may be getting a bit too much for him now…" His mother's words were quite hoarse; Remus suspected she had been crying. He gave his mum a hug and went back to his father's office.  
"You know I'm not sure mum's taken this Hogwarts thing lightly dad…" Remus stated. His father looked up from his workload. He got up and put his hand on Remus's shoulder.  
"I got a letter from Dumbledore this morning. Such a great man…" His father began. "He's had the proper arrangements made for your…condition…"  
"Why does nobody just come out and say it in front of me?" Said Remus. He had always been agitated by the fact that no one in the house spoke about a particular subject regarding Remus.  
"Well dear…" His mother had appeared at the door of the office. "We just thought you wouldn't want reminding that you're… a werewolf." At the last words his mother hesitated. His father's grip tightened slightly on his shoulder. Though it was slightly strange to hear 'the W word' used in the household, Remus felt a little more relaxed.  
He turned back to his father. "So what are the arrangements for me then?" He asked. His mother seemed slightly amazed how casually Remus could take his situation. Well, thought Remus, reading the expression on his mother's face, I have had five whole years to come to terms with it.   
His father had relaxed and sat back down again. He began to explain: "Dumbledore has had a house built in Hogsmeade, the local village. There's a tunnel from the house to the school grounds. When it's time, the school nurse will escort you to the tunnel entrance and ensure you go straight down into it. Then, you have to make your way to the house to… transform."  
"But," Remus was puzzled, "If the tunnel is in the school grounds, doesn't that mean that other students could sneak down it, that could be dangerous."  
His father let out a chuckle at Remus's concerned expresion. "Dumbledore's thought of that too!" He started. "Brilliant man… Anyway he's had an enchanted willow sapling planted over the entrance. This willow attacks anyone who approaches it. However, there is a knot in one root of the tree. If you touch it, the tree freezes. It's as simple as that really. But no one else knows about it.   
"Dumbledore says you have to go to the Hospital wing on the morning of the full moon and the nurse will take you down to the willow. They're going to have to be quite sneaky though, you have to go down right away after breakfast. Now, I believe the moon's going to rise soon. Come along Remus."  
His father took a silver key from a hook by the door and led Remus away from his office. He took him upstairs, along the corridor to the spare room and locked him in. Tonight was the full moon. Remus looked out of the window as the cloud cleared and revealed his worst fear, the moon itself.  
Remus started to transform. He went rigid and began to shake. The pain was unimaginable. He started to hunch over and he let out a wolfish snarl. His hands formed paws and his mouth was no longer a mouth, but a widened jaw full of sharp, jagged teeth. Where a few minutes ago had stood a healthy, normal and rather handsome young man, now stood what was truly a monster.  
There were no humans to bite, so the werewolf bit and scratched himself. From downstairs, Roger and Lucy Lupin could year yelps of pain from their only son. Roger shut the door to block out the noise he had heard so many times before.  
"How about that dinner?" He asked, putting an arm around his wife and taking her into the kitchen.  
*  
The next morning, Remus awoke to find himself in the shabby spare room where once a month the furniture would be ruined and repaired time and time again. He checked his watch, just gone seven o' clock. He banged on the door. His mother unlocked it and smiled weakly.  
"Okay dear?" She asked. Remus nodded wearily. "Look at the state of those clothes! Go and get changed then you can have some breakfast with your father."  
"Dad's eating then? Not got too much work to do?" He asked.  
"No dear," Replied his mum, "He's back to normal now. I think that when you transform once a month it shakes him up, makes him realise what's important. Now go and get changed, there's a good boy."  
And with that, his mother set off downstairs. Remus pulled of his torn shirt and jeans and put on a tracksuit. He went downstairs and placed his jeans on the kitchen table next to his dad.  
"Can you fix these dad? Only I'd like to take them to Hogwarts for weekends." He asked in a hopeful tone.  
His dad took a gulp of coffee and yawned. "Of course son, Ruparo!" With those words the rips in the jeans began to mend themselves and in no time at all they were returned to their original state. Remus thanked his father and slung them over the back of a chair as he sat down at the table.  
"Bacon and Eggs this morning!" Said his mother as she placed three platefuls of crispy bacon and fried eggs on the table. "Toaster's broken so no toast today I'm afraid!"  
Remus looked slightly disappointed; he loved toast in the mornings. He didn't grumble though. Plenty of toast at Hogwarts. He thought to himself.   
"I thought I might take one last wander down Diagon Alley today." Said Remus as he finished his last bit of bacon. "Nip down for an ice cream and take another peek in Quality Quidditch Supplies before I go."  
"All right," said his dad, "but before you do, your mother and I got you a little present for getting accepted to Hogwarts…" He presented Remus with a wooden box while Remus's mother cleared away the plates. She came to watch him open it.  
Inside the box was a silver-coloured case (Well, at least I hope it's silver-coloured or it'll hurt like hell when I pick it up. Remus thought,) with the initials 'R.J.L.' strikingly engraved in gold. He opened the case to reveal a perfectly crafted set of marble chess pieces. And in the bottom of the box was a chessboard. Remus loved chess almost as much as he loved ice cream.  
"Brilliant!" He exclaimed.  
"That's not all!" Said his father. "These are no ordinary chess pieces my boy, these are wizard's chess pieces. They're enchanted! They move on command and smash each other up in a game."  
"Wow!" Said Remus. So this was a real wizard's chess set. His mother had never let him play with one before. She told him the game was 'too violent' for a young boy. His father must have had to do a lot of persuading to get her to agree to this. This certainly was a turning point.  
After putting his chess set upstairs, Remus set out into Diagon Alley for a stroll down to Quality Quidditch Supplies. He was surprised to see none other than Lucius Malfoy milling around and boasting that he owned a Comet two-sixty. Remus caught the end of what he was saying:  
"Father thought I should start training now, he reckons I'll be a seeker when I'm in my second-year at Hogwarts! Father built me a mini-stadium up at the estate so I've been training away all week! I can't take the broom to Hogwarts of course, but at Christmas I'm going home to see it. My father hinted I might get a new Servicing Kit for Christmas too…"  
A large crowd of kids were listening to Malfoy. Remus noticed that one of those kids was the girl he had seen yesterday. She looked as though she had heard the speech a hundred times before. Remus also saw the other boy (he wasn't sure of his name) looking along the shelves for a particular tin of handle wax.  
The boy was getting nearer to Remus. Remus never went looking for this kind of trouble, it usually found him and today was no exeption. The boy looked up and met Remus's eyes once again. His lip curled upwards and he turned his head.  
"Well, well, we meet again." Said the boy with a hint of cruel delight in his voice. "How about we finish what was started yesterday? That is, if you're not too scared. I mean, you don't look too brave to me..."  
"You can't be a very good judge of looks then." Came a voice from behind him. It was a thin boy with a cheeky grin and short hair the same shade of black as the other boy's, though not half as greasy. "He could take you on any day Snape!"  
"Nose out Black, this is between me and this loser..." Answered the boy (who, Remus guessed, was called Snape) in a savage tone. He pointed in Remus's direction.  
"Loser? Where?" Said Remus, looking around him. "Have you seen your reflection in a tin of handle wax then?" Snape looked angry. The other boy was laughing his head off. He pushed past Snape and put a hand on Remus's shoulder.  
"You know, I was right about you. What's your name?" Asked the boy.  
"Remus Lupin."  
"Cool, I'm Sirius, Sirius Black."  
"Nice to meet you," Replied Remus, shaking his hand, "catch you at Hogwarts then?" He added to Snape as he and Sirius walked out of the shop.   
They went down to Florean Fortecue's for a couple of chocolate-banana sundaes and talked for a bit. Sirius didn't have a broom, but he was keen to get one next Christamas. He was staying at the Leaky Cauldron, (the pub which hid the entrance to Diagon Alley), until he went to catch the Hogwarts Express.   
Remus told him that his dad ran the bookshop and that he'd lived in Diagon Alley since he was five. Sirius found this amazing, as he and his wizard family lived in a Muggle (non-magic) district in Surrey. Remus and Sirius exchanged their excitement about going to Hogwarts and Sirius told him he was glad he'd met someone to sit with on the train. Remus had never had a proper friend before; he was utterly delighted to have met Sirius Black.  
After the third ice cream, Remus posed a question that had been hanging on his mind all morning. "So," he said casually, "How do you know that kid, was his name Snape or something?"  
"Yea…Severus 'slimy' Snape. Lives near me in Surrey see…" Sirius talked between mouthfuls of ice cream. "Gets into all kinds of trouble with the muggles, he's got connections with the ministry… Him and that Lucius Malfoy… They lifted the ban on underage wizardry for them or something… They cast spells on mailboxes to make them attack muggles and stuff… Really mean I think."  
"I agree," replied Remus, "that Malfoy's a little git, he shoplifted from my dad's shop!" Sirius called Malfoy something you definately wouldn't hear in polite converstion. Remus nodded, eating another scoop of strawberry-peach (one of his other favourite flavours).   
"He needs a good kick in the rear, both of then do." Said Sirius.  
"Oh? And I suppose you'll be the one to give it to them will you?" Came another familiar voice from behind Remus. He turned to see the same girl from this morning and yesterday walking towards their table.  
"If he asks…" Said Sirius, obviously weary of the girl. She glanced at Remus.  
"You again?" She said, in a rather surprized tone. "Don't you ever go home?"  
"I am home; I live upstairs from Flourish and Blotts." Remus answered in an abrupt tone.  
"I see… So that would make you a Lupin?" She replied, looking a little taken aback by Remus's curt answer.  
He nodded. "Remus Lupin."  
"I'm Cara Montagne, a real pleasure. 'Til Hogwarts then Remus, Sirius?"  
As she walked off, Remus waved and Sirius smiled. Sirius leaned over the table and said in a whisper. "She's trouble that one, I'm telling you..."  
"Yea…" Said Remus dreamily, as he watched her go off into Eeylop's Owl Emporium, shortly followed by Snape and Malfoy.  
"Lives near me too, about two streets away." Said Sirius as Remus turned back to the table as their fourth sundaes arrived, this time cherry-coconut. "Always with those two. Snape's friendly with her but I think Lucius has a crush on her…" Remus began listening intently at this point. "But I don't think the feeling's mutual; she wouldn't be talking to us if she really cared about him. Malfoy and me are enemies see... Just like James and Snape."  
"James?" Asked Remus, sure that this name had never cropped up before.  
"My next door neighbour." Explained Sirius. "Meeting him on the train tomorrow. Known each other for years. You'd like him; we've all got one thing in common. We hate Snape! Speak of the devil..."  
Remus looked behind him to see Snape charging down Diagon Alley towards him. Malfoy and Cara weren't far behind. Cara seemed to be shouting something at him. As they got closer, what she was saying became clearer:  
"How can you be sure he's got it? What if you just dropped it somewhere?"  
Sanpe charged up to the able and leered at Sirius with more rage than Remus had ever seen before, if that was possible. His glare was like a hot knife through butter, but Sirius simply smiled.  
"Where is it Black?" Shouted Snape, glowing with rage.  
"Where is what? Severus?" Answered Sirius, still smiling. Remus felt something hit his knee. He grasped hold of it to find it was a glass bottle. He looked under the table to see it was the green bottle from the day before. He kept hold of it under the table while Snape ranted at Sirius.  
"What? I know you took the bottle from my cloak pocket Sirius! I'm not stupid!"  
"Really?" Answered Sirius.   
At that moment, Cara sat down at the table next to Remus. Remus felt her tap his ankle with her foot; then, she tapped on the hand in which he held the bottle. He looked away from Snape and met her eyes. She looked up at Snape, then down at the table and winked at him with a cheeky smile. He passed her the bottle.  
She concealed it behind her back as she got up, whispered "Thanks" in Remus's ear and walked round behind Snape. She slipped the bottle back into his pocket.  
"Now really Severus! Are you certain it not there?" She asked him, overpowering both his and Sirius's voices. Snape scowled at her.  
"It's not there!" He said. "I've checked!"  
"Just check again. Please?" She said pleadingly. He studied her face, and reached into his pocket. He pulled out the bottle.  
"Problem solved!" She said, and pulled Severus away from the table, Lucius trailing behind like a lost puppy. Sirius leaned over the table again.  
"I knew she'd do that," he whispered, "always does whatever she can to try and help me out. That's why I passed the bottle to you."  
Remus looked back to see Severus shouting at Lucuis, (probably beacause he had no one else to blame), and Cara smiling at him. He smiled back and Sirius jerked him back around.  
"I got a look at the bottle though," he said triumphantly, "before I passed it to you. It was called Wormwood. Any ideas?"  
Remus shook his head, there were lots of potions that used Wormwood, but it was quite useless on it's own. He and Sirius continued to talk of the possibilities for another hour. Then, a middle-aged man in bright red robes appeared near the service counter of the ice cream parlour.  
"Sirius! Time to go!" He shouted.  
Sirius groaned. "That's my dad, I'll have to go. See you on the train. Look for me yea?"  
"Yea!" Called Remus after him, as Sirius ran between the tables to meet his father.  
Remus walked back up to Flourish and Blotts, careful to dodge Snape and Malfoy, who were now outside Madam Malkin's, looking malicious. He got back in to find his father behind the counter, as usual, and his mother in the living room, listening to the WWN (Wizarding Wireless Network).  
He went back upstairs and spent the next hour packing the remainder of his things in his trunk. He had to repack several times, as he couldn't quite fit all his choclate frogs inside his cauldron. His telescope was a problem too. No matter where he put it his trunk, he couldn't get anything else near it. In the end he stuffed the spaces around it with clothes and robes.  
After packing away his things, Remus took his chess set from the top of the trunk. He carried it downstairs.  
"Fancy a game dad?" He asked, his father looking very bored at the counter. His dad smiled and agreed, business was slow this afternoon as most people had already gotten their school supplies that morning or within the last week.  
"Now just put your pieces down and watch what happens!" Said his dad excitedly.  
"But my pieces are white, and so are yours! This is ridiculous!" Argued Remus. But, no sooner had the words left his mouth than the little white marble pieces did the most extraordinary thing. They changed colour. Where a few moments ago had stood two sets of bright white chess pieces, now stood his father's white pieces and his own pieces in a stunning black marble effect.  
Remus and his father played several games. Remus had always been good at chess, but he was not yet accustomed to just commanding the pieces to move. He soon got the hang of it though. Especially after he tried to pick up the queen and the tiny king whacked his finger with its sword.  
After a few hours Remus sat down to the last dinner he would have with his family until Christmas. Remus had to come home at Christmas due to the fact that December the twenty-first was a full moon night. He didn't want to transform at Hogwarts more than he needed to.  
His mother hurried him upstairs after dinner to check he'd packed all his things and fretted at how creased his shirts would be, especially since he had them wrapped around his telescope. Remus's mother made sure his wand, (Birch, Dragon Heartstring, 11 inches), was out on his bedside table to remind him to pick it up in the morning. He put some robes on the top of his trunk to change into on the train and locked it tight shut.   
"Now remember!" Said his mother. "You send Artemis if anything's wrong. If you want to come home or have forgotten something, you just tell us."  
"Yes mum." He said. "I know."  
"Oh, and here's something to last up to Christmas." She said, handing him a paper bag.  
He looked inside and founded two things, an Owl-Order Items Catalogue, and a piece of paper with a number on it. He read the number aloud.  
"693?"  
"That," Said his father, appearing at the door, "Is your Gringotts vault number!"  
"I didn't know I had a Gringotts vault." Said Remus, thinking of the wizard bank at the end of Diagon Alley.  
"You didn't, until recently." Answered his mum. "We've put 198 sickles in there. That's your pocket money until Christmas. If you want anything for yourself. Just order from that catalogue and put that vault number down."  
Remus was delighted at the prospect of being able to buy things while at Hogwarts. "Can I buy Christmas presents for friends too?" He asked hopefully. His father gave him a puzzled look.  
"Friends?" He asked suspiciously. "When did you make friends? You haven't been to the school yet!"  
"I met a few people today who are going to Hogwarts." He stated bluntly. His father had always been protective of him. Too protective in Remus's opinion. "Well, can I?"  
"Of course dear!" Replied his mother, shooing his father out of the room without letting him ask further questions. "Now get to sleep! Big day tomorrow!" She said as she closed the door.  
Remus put the catalogue and number into a front pocket on his trunk. He was very happy to still be able to spend his money at Hogwarts. He had been wondering what would happen to his money while he was away.   
He changed into his pajamas and climbed into his cosy bed. It felt so cosy after sleeping on the floor in the spare room, (which had by now been magically repaired to its usual state). He drifted off to sleep quite easily.   



	2. The Journey To Hogwarts

**CHAPTER TWO**  
  
_**THE JOURNEY TO HOGWARTS**_  
  
  
Remus woke early the next morning and dressed in the early morning sun. He picked up his wand and tucked it inside his jacket. He headed downstairs for breakfast, almost forgetting to put on his watch. When he got into the kitchen he found his parents up and awake. A Full English Breakfast awaited him on the table.  
"Morning dear." Said his mother, as the kettle started singing to announce the water was boiled.  
"Hurry now son," said his dad, "eat up that food and we'll make our way to King's Cross in about an hour."  
Remus sat down and began wolfing down his food, still minus any toast. His father was reading The Daily Prophet, the wizarding world's newspaper. The front-page story read:   
  
_**ALASTOR MOODY TO TEACH AT HOGWARTS**  
  
LUDICROUS old dingbat Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, has allowed a new teacher to overtake the previous Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, Quentin Trimble. The new teacher is current Ministry Auror Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody.   
The newly acquired nickname 'Mad-Eye' has been awarded to Moody after his eye was severely wounded and had to be removed after a battle with a particularly dangerous dark magician (who shall remain nameless for Ministry reasons). He has had his real eye replaced with a suspicious enchanted eye. Moody is a maniac and is never to be trusted, especially as a teacher. Writes Rita Skeeter, newest edition to the Daily Prophet team.  
_  
"Well that's a worry." Said Remus. His father turned the paper over and read the article aloud.  
"Don't worry about that son." Said his father after he had finished reading. "I know Alastor; he's all right really, if a little strange... Dumbledore's the best judge of character I know, he wouldn't let a lunatic teach young children. That new reporter, Rita Skeeter, she'll write anything to get on the front page."  
Remus examined the picture of a rather odd man who didn't seem too old. He had one brown eye and a blue eye that seemed considerably larger than the other (Remus guessed that the blue eye was the false one). The man was moving around inside the picture frame, battling with a faceless creature dressed in dark robes. The caption underneath the picture read: Mad-Eye's epic match with the Dementors of Azkaban. (Archive photo.) Remus looked at the dark figure and saw Moody flinch every inch closer it got. Suddenly, Moody shot a white wispy spirit from the end of his wand. This was unmistakeably a patronus, and a strong one at that. The wisp was now clearer, it looked like a large rhinoceros without a horn.  
Remus finished his breakfast and hurriedly brought his trunk downstairs. His father was already at the door with his 'muggle-styled' fleece and black jeans. Remus's father had gained three-hundred-and-seventy-two percent in Muggle Studies when he was at Hogwarts, so he knew a fair bit about their habits and how they dressed. His mother, however, was another case. She decided not to come after she had attempted to go out into muggle London wearing an orange woolly jumper and green cycling shorts.  
Remus and his father carried the trunk together out into Diagon Alley and through the Leaky Cauldron into the centre of London. His father hailed a cab and they got to King's Cross at ten to eleven. They put the trunk onto a cart and made their way to platforms 9 and 10.   
His father held the trolley firm at the wall between the platforms. He gave it an almighty push and it disappeared into the wall. Remus and his father leant against the wall and slid through. They met the trolley out on the hidden Platform 9&¾. Before them was the bright red steam engine of the Hogwarts Express.  
"Wait dad!" Said Remus loudly over the noise of the crowd. "We've forgotten Artemis's cage!" Remus was frantic, his owl would never speak to him again if he had forgotten his cage!  
His father pulled a tiny silver cage from his pocket. "Engorgio!" With a flick of his wand it grew to full size before them. "You may have forgotten," said his father, "but I didn't! Now be good and we'll see you at Christmas!"  
Remus thanked his father as he hauled his luggage onto the train. He carried on down the train, looking for Sirius. Somewhere in the middle he found him. But he was not alone. Snape was towering over him and Sirius looked a little worried. As he got closer, Remus could hear Snape's threats.  
"Don't expect me to be nice just because you're in Cara's good books Black. She can't stop me." He almost spat out the words in a rage.  
"Oh push off Snape." Remus said, entering the compartment. Sirius seemed to regain some courage now that he had some company. Remus sat down opposite Sirius. Snape was already in his uniform. He stormed from the compartment, glaring back at Remus before he left.  
"Remus! My saviour mate!" Said Sirius, offering him a piece of Droobs Best Blowing Gum. Remus took it and the two boys began to talk.  
"So, what've you done now?" Remus asked. He had never seen Snape that angry before, not even when Sirius had pinched his bottle of Wormwood the day before.  
"Oh, well… I-er… Sort-of slipped a couple of fizzing whizzbees into a can of coke he was holding this morning. He was staying at the Leaky Cauldron too."  
"How many is a couple Sirius?" Remus inquired.  
"…Almost a full pack…"  
Remus knew only too well that fizzing whizzbees were sherbet sweets that made you float above the ground. But a whole packet of them…  
"What happened?" Remus asked eagerly.  
"It was classic! I got a picture with my camera!" Sirius pulled a photograph from his pocket. "It's only a muggle polaroid, but it's still pretty funny!" He showed Remus a picture of Snape foating twenty feet up in the air and a crowd of wizards trying to get him down.  
Remus and Sirius were still laughing their heads off when another person entered the compartment. He was only a bit taller than Sirius, but much thinner with short black hair that didn't seem to want to lie flat. He wore glasses and had brown eyes.  
"James! Excellent to see you old boy!" Sirius put on a posh accent and took James by the hand and shook it furiously.  
"Sirius old bean! How are you doing?" James answered in the same sort of tone. "And who is this, dear fellow?" He was looking at Remus.  
"Oh Remus old boy! Come here and meet young Mr. Potter!" Sirius beckoned him.  
"Ah yes! Remus! Simply delighted to meet you!" James introduced himself. "I am James Potter and it really is marvellous to meet you!" He put his hand out.  
Remus took his hand and shook it. Then, with a big grin, he said: "James! How do you do?" He too had picked up on the posh tone. The boys laughed.  
James put his voice back to normal. "You're gonna fit right in here Remus. Is that Droobs Gum Sirius?" Sirius passed James some gum as they all sat down and began talking. Sirius explained what had happened to Snape. James too was in hysterics when he saw the picture.  
The three boys starting joking as the train sped on through countless fields. The train had left London miles back. James was interested to hear about Remus and Remus wanted to hear more about James and Sirius's explorations in the muggle world. They exchanged stories for almost half an hour when another person entered their compartment.   
It was a small boy with short mousy hair. He was already wearing his school robes. He seemed quite flustered.  
"E-excuse m-me..." He began.  
"Yes?" Remus replied. "Can we help you?"  
"I-I've lost m-my pet c-cat. I w-wondered if you guys h-had seen him?" The boy replied.  
"Sorry... Haven't seen anything at all mate." Sirius replied.  
The boy was about to speak again when two girls came to the door of the compartment. Remus recognised one of them, it was Cara. The other girl had orange-brown hair and bright green eyes. Cara was holding a tiny black furball. Remus guessed it was the boy's cat.  
"Peter! We've found him!" Shouted the other girl.  
"Oh!" The boy shouted. "Brilliant! Thanks girls! You g-girls are lifesavers! My mum'd kill me if I l-lost Charlie, he's brand n-new!"  
Cara glanced around the room and her eyes fixed on Remus. "Again?" She said.  
"We've gotta stop meeting like this." Remus answered with a smile.  
Cara laughed and led Peter and the other girl away. James leaned across to the other two boys and said: "She was gorgeous wasn't she?"  
"Which one?" Sirius replied. "Cara, the other girl or Peter?"  
At the last name they all burst out laughing.  
"Or was it the cat James?" Sirius added. They all laughed again. They were still in hysterical laughter when another farmiliar face entered the compartment, though this one was less welcome.  
"Simple things please simple minds I suppose." Said Malfoy, in his usual rather whining voice.  
"I wouldn't say that Malfoy." Remus immediately replied. "You're a simple thing, and I'm not pleased at all..."  
Sirius and James couldn't stop laughing. Malfoy stared into Remus's eyes and Remus stared right back. Suddenly a hand appeared from around the corner and Malfoy was dragged out of the way. Cara appeared again.   
"Can't keep bloody track of you! Go on, Severus wants you pest!" Cara shouted after him. Malfoy set off down the corridor. Cara took the only available seat, next to Remus, and began talking to James:  
"Don't you know that girl I was with then James? Because I heard what you said when we left the compartment."  
"Do you have bloody radar or something?" James asked her, blushing a little, he didn't seem very forward around girls.  
"Anyway," Cara continued, "Her name is Lily whether you care or not…" With that Cara left the compartment again.   
"Bet you feel a bit stupid eh?" Sirius said calmly, holding back a clear erruption of laughter. James pushed him into the window, literally.   
Sirus just laughed it off and started throwing Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans at him (the nasty flavours of course). They started throwing them at the window. Remus threw one quite casually and it splatted against the window almost instantly. Sirius and James stopped.  
"Wow… Do that again Remus." James said.  
"Do what?" Remus replied.  
"Throw a bean so it does that." Sirius answered. "It was incredible!"  
Remus didn't quite understand what was so incredible about splatting a bean against a window. But, for some reason the two other boys couldn't do it. Remus threw another bean with ease at the window. This one splatted so hard it was almost flat.  
"Whoa! You must be damn strong Remus! That looked like there was no effort involved!" Sirius seemed astounded. James couldn't speak. Remus was still rather confused.  
"Maybe it's just luck." James said, finally coming to his senses again. "How about an arm-wrestle Remus?" He asked rather casually.  
"Okay then…" Remus replied after a few seconds. "Only if you're sure though…" He added, half-joking.  
James smiled and put his arm onto Sirius's trunk. Remus did the same and they locked hands.   
"Three, two, one, go!" Sirius shouted.  
Remus couldn't even feel James pushing, but James looked like he was putting a lot of strength into this match. Remus pushed his arm down with impeccable ease. He couldn't understand why though, Remus had never considered himself strong in any way at all. James, puffing and panting, nursed his hand.  
"No harm done Remus…" James announced. "Are you sure you haven't been going to the gym since you were say, two?!"  
"Quite sure thanks James." Remus told him, again, half-joking.  
Sirius tried an arm-wrestle with Remus. The same thing happened, if a little faster, Sirius didn't seem quite as strong as James. Both the boys were in awe of Remus's so-called 'incredible strength'. Remus still wasn't quite sure why.  
"I know what it is!" Sirius said suddenly after a comfortable moment of silent wonder. "A strengthening charm or a potion! That's gotta be it! Right?"  
Remus shook his head, smiling. "Don't be daft," he told him, "even if I could perform or brew something that powerful, I wouldn't be able to use it anyway. That's underage wizardry and I'd've been out of Hogwarts before I'd even been in!"  
Sirius and James nodded in agreement. The old witch with the snack trolley had appeared at the door.  
"Well lads? What'll it be?" She asked.  
Remus was the first to reach into his pocket, he bought a chocolate frog and some coconut-ice. James and Sirius each had loads of money with them, much more than Remus did, and they bought masses of frogs and beans. Just as the witch with the trolley was about to move on, Cara appeared at the door again, this time somewhat out of breath.  
"Ch-chocolate frog... please!" She was finally able to say. She emptied the pocket of her light-blue jacket to reveal a single sickle and a few bronze knuts. Remus had a sad suspicion that was all the money she had with her. As she got her change and ran back down the corridor Remus got to his feet.  
"Where're you off to?" Sirius asked inquisitively.  
"Going down to fetch my robes, it won't be too long before we arrive now..." He told them as he left. It was true. What had seemed to be just a few minutes had turned to several hours. A gentle darkness descended on the countryside as the Hogwarts Express sped past it.  
As Remus arrived at the luggage racks he found Cara reaching for her trunk from a high shelf. Meeting her eye, he smiled and reached for it himself. He lifted it down and she seemed amazed for some reason.  
"You must be bloody strong!" She told him, "It took my brother and me ten minutes to get that onto the trolley!"  
"So how were you going to lift it down then?" He asked, wondering if she was joking.  
"It's a tough old trunk, I was just going to let it drop down and leave it there afterwards..."   
She was blushing a little. Remus moved towards his own trunk on another shelf further back.  
"Give me a shout when you need it putting back up then!" He called as he turned a corner to reach his own trunk.  
Remus found his own trunk on the very bottom shelf. He opened it up and pulled out the robes he had set on the top. Switching his jumpers over (as he had put his school trousers on that morning) and pulling on his plain black cloak Remus. discovered a letter that had been placed on top of his hat.  
He opened it and read with great curiosity:  
_ Dear Remus,  
I thought it best not to let you know until now, but I'll be teaching Transfiguration at Hogwarts this year.  
Hope you make Gryffindor,  
Professor Mc Gonagall!_  
Remus was shocked. Minerva McGonagall was a second cousin on his father's side. He remembered her visiting Flourish and Blotts many a time. He smiled to himself. "At least there'll be one friendly face at Hogwarts then.." He thought.  
He put the letter back into his trunk and closed it up again. He could hear someone calling him from around the corner. He smiled and headed back to Cara.  
"All done?" He questioned, noticing she had changed her clothes too.  
"Yup," she replied as Remus lifted the trunk clear over his head and back up onto the shelf. He heard her utter a short "wow" and he turned back to her, content that he had made a very good impression.  
"Thanks a lot," she replied, "Lucius is weak as a kitten without magic!" She giggled as they moved back down the train. After a few minutes they came across a compartment where Snape and Malfoy were discussing quidditch tactics.  
"Well, this is my compartment..." She said, not sounding exactly thrilled at the prospect of listening to them talk Bludgers and Snitches for another hour.  
"You could come up to ours..." Remus said, realising he had said aloud his thoughts, "Even if James and Sirius are talking quidditch, I won't be."  
Cara smiled widely, apparently happy that Snape and Malfoy hadn't noticed she was there at all. "Lead the way..." She said.  
Remus did so and they headed down to a compartment that was now full of people. At first Remus thought there'd been an accident, but he soon realised that the crowd was aminly girls, and that Sirius and James were entertaining them. Cara didn't seem keen to watch. Remus noticed that the compartment opposite was now only occupied by Peter, the boy they had met earlier.  
"C'mon," Remus said, taking her arm and leading into the other compartment. "You don't mind if we sit in here do you, Peter wasn't it?" He asked as they entered.  
Peter seemed quite shocked that Remus knew his name. He stuttered a "N-not at all!" and they sat down opposite him.  
"I'm Remus by the way, Remus Lupin." Remus shook his hand. Peter smiled widely.  
"It's Pettigrew, Peter Pettigrew. I'm glad I've finally made another friend!" He exclaimed with delight.  
"Oh well that's nice!" Cara replied jokingly, "I'm just invisible today aren't I?"  
They laughed and joked as the entertainment raged in the compartment next door. Soon the scenery around them was pitch black and the train came to an abrupt but gentle stop.  
"Here we are then!" Remus delightfully exclaimed as the three of them got up and pushed past the crowd and out through the door. The cool night air hit Remus's face as he helped Cara down onto the platform.  
"Firs' years this way!" Came a call from somewhere at the end of the platform. Remus didn't take long to spot who was calling. He saw a very tall man with a great black beard and a large brown overcoat. He looked like a giant, or a half-giant at the least...  
Sirius came up behind him and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Shall we guys and girls?" He said, indicating to where James was already headed for the man...  



End file.
